The sleep position trainer: a new treatment for positional obstructive sleep apnoea

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Positional obstructive sleep apnoea (POSA) affects 56% of obstructive sleep apnoea patients, characterized by a higher apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) when sleeping supine.
• Traditional positional therapy (PT) often suffers from poor patient compliance due to bulky devices.
• A novel device, the Sleep Position Trainer (SPT), has been developed to address these limitations in POSA treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of a novel Sleep Position Trainer (SPT) for treating mild to moderate positional obstructive sleep apnoea (POSA).
• To assess the impact of the SPT on sleep parameters, daytime sleepiness, and quality of life in POSA patients.

Main Methods:

• Mild to moderate POSA patients (n=31) used the SPT, a chest-strapped device that vibrates when supine, for approximately 29 nights.
• The study monitored changes in supine sleeping time, apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), sleep efficiency, and subjective sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale).
• Patient compliance with the SPT was also assessed.

Main Results:

• The SPT significantly reduced median supine sleeping time from 49.9% to 0.0% (p < 0.001) and median AHI from 16.4 to 5.2 (p < 0.001).
• Fifteen patients achieved an overall AHI below five, indicating successful treatment.
• Significant improvements were observed in Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire scores, with high compliance (92.7%).

Conclusions:

• The Sleep Position Trainer is a highly successful and well-tolerated treatment for POSA patients over a one-month period.
• The SPT effectively diminishes subjective sleepiness and enhances sleep-related quality of life without negatively impacting sleep efficiency.
• Further research is warranted to investigate the long-term effectiveness of the Sleep Position Trainer for POSA management.